In my opinion art should evoke a response. What that response is, is personal but there needs to be one, whether to make me smile, cry, remember, or ponder.
But sometimes you need to live with the art to truly appreciate it.
When Sandy from Canadian Blog House introduced Artollo to me I spent hours looking through all their many prints. Some catching my eye because of the colour, or humour, technique, or shape. After many hours I had narrowed my choices down to about 30 prints, including the two below. I liked the elephant print because it reminded me of Babar the Elephant a favourite book of mine as a child. And it was the colours that drew me to the Zebra watercolour print.
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Image via Artollo |
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Image via Artollo |
I asked my husband to take a look at my choices and help me decide, all of which he rejected. He chose two small prints, not large or bold in colour or subject matter. They were understated and quiet much like my husband. They would not have been my picks, but they are the ones I ordered.
I sat with these prints for few weeks. Each time I walked by my eye was draw back to them, and like my quiet understated husband there is depth and subtle details you need to look a little deeper to find.
Mixed in with the muted neutrals are splashes of colour, and texture. The backgrounds are not solid colours but instead textured and have a feel of patina, depth and age.
I wonder who the boats are carrying and where are they going. If the circles of smoke were "thought bubbles" what thoughts would be in them?
I wonder if the birds are family or friends? Is the yellow bird just relaxing or being shut out of the conversation?
That's the wonderful thing about art it means different things to different people. It means different things to the same person at different times.
The Artollo collection of art prints is large and diverse. Some are fun and whimsical, some watercolours of animals or cityscapes, while others like the Orange Optimist collection uses a unique technique.
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Image via Artollo - Orange Optimist collection. |
But there's more to Artollo than just prints they also offer a variety of other art objects including totes, mugs, cushions, and my favourite fantastic wall decals.
Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about about art!
Note: I received 2 prints from Artollo free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and reflect my personal experience with the brand and product.